Chicago pulls a Fast one, acquires Ellis
2020-03-06Brent Seabrook. Matt Niskanen. Justin Faulk. Dmitry Orlov. Dustin Byfuglien. Tyson Barrie.
All six of the above defensemen were brought into Chicago to be the one - the leader on the backend that the Blackhawks could build upon a true foundation.
All six ended up being shipped out at various stages.
Ryan Ellis is unlikely to be the seventh.
Chicago acquired Ellis, the 28-year old star defenseman, along with young D Brady Keeper, on Friday for five players - Jesper Fast, Olli Maatta, Justin Holl, and prospects Noah Gregor and Declan Chisholm.
Ellis had just 17 points (3-14-17) in 38 games with the New York Rangers at the time of the deal - a bit low for his standards. But he figures to see a lot more than the 21:43 in ice time he was getting in the Big Apple.
"Ryan Ellis is one of the top defensemen in hockey," said GM Thomas Gidlow. "I have little doubt within our system that he'll get back to his usual production and be a stalwart for us for a long time."
"He's going to play in all situations. He's built to play a ton of minutes."
The NHL version of Ellis had a brief hiccup earlier this season, missing out on some six weeks of action with a purported concussion. But he's still amassed 36 points in 47 NHL games, and shouldn't be too affected by the time missed when it comes to EHE offseason ratings.
"He's the type of guy you build your approach around," said Chicago head coach Rick Tocchet. "He can anchor this unit for a long time."
Ellis has this season and 2020-21 left on his current deal, which pays $5 million per season. Logic suggests the Hawks will use their expiring franchise tag from Jonathan Toews on Ellis next season, although Zach Parise and David Krejci could feasibly be in contention for the tag as well.
That could mean Ellis would anchor a defensive unit with three RFA-aged players (Dylan DeMelo, Mack Weegar, Brett Kulak) along with an emerging Jonas Siegenthaler in tow. Jack Johnson and Johnny Boychuk are signed through next season as well.
"It's early still to say for certain what we will end up doing with our franchise tags," stated Gidlow, who has reportedly been open to discussing a deal for sniper TJ Oshie based on his contract status (he's headed for free agency after this year). "We have time to decide how and when to apply it, but common sense would tell you one of them is very likely to be utilized on Ellis."
Ellis should arrive in time for Chicago's Saturday night tilt in Calgary. The Blackhawks snapped a four-game winning streak by losing to Columbus 4-0 on Thursday on the first of a three-game road swing. He figures to slot right into the top pairing with Johnson, while Boychuk is expected to slide to the second pairing with DeMelo.
The move does put a hole on the Hawks' third line. Fast had been playing with Cody Eakin and Nick Foligno after Jeff Skinner was acquired. A logical move would be to have Magnus Paajarvi jump up to fill Fast's spot with Kyle Rau getting back in the lineup on the fourth line. Either way, Chicago is expected to make a recall or two from their AHL affiliate over the weekend.
"This is a big move for us," said Gidlow. "I know there are critics out there who think we're just wheeling and dealing with no plan or purpose in place. But for those that pay attention, it's fairly clear what our intentions are. We're quite happy with this deal."
And the Blackhawks have every reason to be.
Chip Whitley
Blackhawks Beat Reporter